8 Times Stellantis Killed A Product Simply To Bring It Again – Jalopnik

Ah, Stellantis, you are complicated us. Stellantis, the transatlantic multinational group that owns 14 automotive manufacturers, grew out of a merger in 2021 between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the PSA Group, which owns European manufacturers like Peugeot, Opel, and others. Stellantis is just like the automotive world’s Brady Bunch, however this blended household hasn’t all the time had clean crusing. Stellantis has been bleeding money in 2025, and its product technique has been inconsistent, at greatest. It’s developed a behavior of killing off product strains after which bringing them again.

Of course, it isn’t all the time a foul factor to appropriate your course when the unique course was a mistake to start with. Stellantis received a brand new CEO, Antonio Filosa, in mid-2025, and we’re seeing new pondering below his management. The Detroit Free Press interviewed Filosa, who acknowledged the corporate’s misplaced market share and stated, “Why? Because we decided in the past years to phase out very important nameplates.” He then described his plans to deliver again some best-selling merchandise. Dare we hope that Filosa is a automobile man?

He definitely appears to grasp his buyer base, particularly within the U.S. For occasion, Ram is bringing again the Hemi V8 within the 2026 Ram 1500. This indicators a desperately wanted course correction if Stellantis hopes to win again prospects, and we applaud the trouble. As we’ll see under, there are a number of different nameplates, engines, and entire product strains that Stellantis has killed off in recent times, solely to deliver them again — and extra revivals are coming.

Does your hometown have a type of furnishings shops that has had a going-out-of-business sale for many years? When you moved away, it was nonetheless open. And whenever you got here again in your highschool reunion, it was nonetheless open. The 392 Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler is the SUV equal of that retailer. The 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V8 first appeared within the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, which differentiated itself from different Wranglers with a bulging hood scoop and a really un-Wrangler-like 0-to-60 time of 4 seconds flat.

The 2021 Wrangler 392’s order type confirmed it will set you again greater than $77,000, which might be simply as nicely — if you are going to drive an SUV this highly effective, you higher be capable to afford plenty of insurance coverage. For 2024, Jeep introduced a Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition, restricted to only 3,700 examples. However, the very subsequent 12 months, Jeep introduced the 2025 Wrangler Rubicon 392, additionally referred to as the Final Edition. Did Jeep’s advertising and marketing executives study their commerce at that furnishings retailer?

You might imagine that the 392 absolutely will not reappear for 2026. Think once more, as a result of it returns within the 2026 Jeep Wrangler Moab 392. It’s the identical engine, full with the identical 470 horsepower. At a bit below $82,000, it is cheaper than its predecessor, whose value had inflated to greater than $100,000 in its ultimate, ultimate 12 months. It comes full with 35-inch tires, Jeep’s Selec-Trac 4×4 switch case, and different severe trail-busting gear.

The Cherokee nameplate is among the most essential in Jeep’s historical past. The XJ era of the Cherokee bought virtually 3 million items between 1984 and 2001, serving to to propel Jeep into the mainstream as a supplier of American household automobiles. The Cherokee nameplate disappeared from U.S. markets from 2002 by means of 2012 when it was changed by the Liberty, earlier than returning on a crossover SUV in 2013 for the 2014 mannequin 12 months. However, off-road lovers weren’t loopy about its car-based platform and slick styling.

Still, this era of the Cherokee provided first rate off-road functionality, particularly in its Trailhawk trim with off-road tires and different upgrades. Its vary of engines included an elective 3.2-liter V6 that might pull off a 7.2-second 0-to-60 run, even in Trailhawk guise with the massive tires and a weighty 4×4 drivetrain. On the draw back, its inside was cramped, and its fuel mileage in contrast poorly to different compact SUVs. Low gross sales led Jeep to cancel the Cherokee after the 2023 mannequin 12 months.

However, in the summertime of 2025, Jeep revealed the specs for a 2026 Cherokee hybrid. The new hybrid drivetrain corrects the outdated mannequin’s gasoline financial system subject with a powerful 37 mpg ranking. Its squared-off styling recollects the look of the wildly profitable XJ fashions. This is becoming — just like the XJ, the brand new Cherokee shall be important to Jeep’s future gross sales success, and Stellantis is aware of it. According to Motor Trend, the brand new Cherokee is not nice off-road, however that might not be a problem for the overwhelming majority of Cherokee patrons. Motor Trend notes that an off-road mannequin could also be coming within the close to future.

Strap in, readers, as a result of this one will get difficult. After discontinuing the Dodge Charger sedan that was primarily based on the L platform (in addition to the Dodge Challenger coupe and the Chrysler 300 sedan, which had been primarily based on the identical platform), Stellantis introduced the Charger would return as an electric-only coupe in 2024. However, it additionally introduced that good old school dinosaur-juice-powered Chargers would come again in 2025, together with four-door Charger Daytona fashions, however solely with Hurricane twin-turbo V6 engines.

Hemi lovers had been, nicely, unenthused. They turned their backs on the Dodge model. The firm’s gross sales plummeted by roughly 50% in early 2025, a pattern exacerbated by the choice to launch the EV variations first, then the Hurricane V6 fashions, and no Hemis. The twin-turbo SIXPACK fashions are hardly slouches at 420 horsepower for the S.O. model and a tire-vaporizing 550 hp for the H.O. model. In reality, a SlashGear reviewer described the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK as “properly powerful,” in a masterful little bit of understatement.

But Dodge followers are traditionalists, they usually love their V8s, particularly, Hemi V8s. In early 2025, Car and Driver reported {that a} Hemi revival may very well be on the desk for the Charger. It’s not clear which Hemi engines would return, or the timeline, past the truth that it will be in late 2026. Even as not too long ago as early December of 2025, Dodge’s CEO, Matt McAlear, was coy a couple of attainable return of the Hemi-powered Charger, in accordance with The Car Guide. We hope good issues come to those that wait.

When Dodge introduced the Durango Hellcat in 2021, the corporate swore it will be a one-year solely mannequin, as this supercharged super-ute wasn’t precisely consistent with emissions and gasoline effectivity requirements. However, Dodge then uncancelled the mannequin after fixing a few of its points. The huge, three-row, 710-horsepower SUV beforehand dragged down Dodge’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) scores, and its emissions weren’t precisely earth pleasant. However, throughout its 1-year hiatus, Dodge’s engineers fiddled with the software program to enhance what comes out the tailpipe, whereas product planning made room for the beastly ute below the CAFE regs.

It survived one other close to cancellation, when buyer suggestions satisfied Dodge to increase Hellcat manufacturing into 2025, together with the 360-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V8. And then, guess what? It’s again for 2026. But the 2026 mannequin has emissions points which have blocked its sale within the 17 states that adhere to California’s strict emissions rules. However, finally, Dodge discovered a approach round that, too. Executives are a bit cagey about how they managed it, however as of November 2025, 10 of the 17 states had relented.

The division is hopeful that the remaining seven holdouts will give in quickly. Then, patrons with about $82,000 rising stale of their financial institution accounts will be capable to slip behind the wheel of this hi-po SUV. It nonetheless cranks out 710 hp from its supercharged, 6.2-liter Hemi, and all of that energy is channeled to the bottom by means of all 4 20-inch wheels. With three rows of seats, these fortunate drivers can deliver alongside as much as six terrified passengers for the three.6-second 0-to-60 run.

Dodge responded to V8 lovers not simply by holding the Hemi engines within the lineup, however by going so far as making the Durango a V8-only mannequin. However, after a hiatus of simply months, Dodge revived the Pentastar V6-powered Durango. The division’s management additionally stated that persevering with to supply the V6 will enable Dodge to ramp up Hemi manufacturing, although provided that the lineup was presupposed to be 100% Hemi-driven earlier than the return of the V6, that is an odd factor to say.

Regardless of the rationale, it is undoubtedly good that patrons will nonetheless have a V6 possibility. The Durango is a comparatively inexpensive three-row SUV at a base value of $38,995. Time-warping 0-to-60 occasions could also be enjoyable, and Dodge does have an extended heritage of constructing muscle automobiles and vans, but it surely additionally has a practice of promoting mainstream household automobiles just like the Caravan minivan. And in that custom, fairly priced three-row SUVs are worthwhile choices on {the marketplace}.

The Pentastar V6 hardly relegates the Durango to the standing of a boring wagon. This 3.6-liter engine generates 295 horsepower, channeled by means of an 8-speed computerized. There was a time not so way back when these had been performance-car stats. In the Durango, the Pentastar gives a towing capability of 6,200 kilos, greater than sufficient to tow most weekend toys to the lake or the snowmobile trails. Good name, Dodge!

The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) badge graced a number of the most iconic Dodge and Chrysler automobiles of the Twenty first century, but it surely quietly disappeared in 2021. In mid-2025, Stellantis introduced the efficiency model can be reborn. Credit for this goes to Antonio Filosa, the CEO we talked about earlier, together with Tim Kuniskis, the CEO of the Ram model, who takes on a newly created place as the pinnacle of Stellantis’ American manufacturers.

The born-again SRT division will fall below Kuniskis’ purview, which is good news, since he owns a repute as a automobile man. He truly retired in 2024, however he got here out of retirement to take his outdated job again when Stellantis modified path. He’s the one who revived the Hemi for the 2026 Ram 1500, which augurs nicely for the long run. Under Stellantis’ new North American chief, the SRT division ought to thrive.

The revived division will unite the very best efficiency engineers from all 4 of Stellantis’ stateside divisions below one roof. In addition to constructing automobiles for the car-buying public, they will work on Stellantis’ track-day efforts, together with Dodge’s NHRA group and Ram’s upcoming NASCAR Truck Series racer. The Dodge Direct Connection efficiency components division may also fall below SRT. We might hope to see a revival of automobiles just like the Charger SRT8, together with attainable new Hellcat fashions.

Jeep’s little subcompact SUV, the Renegade, bought nicely early in its mannequin run. In 2016, it bought greater than 106,000 items. However, beginning in round 2019, gross sales started a precipitous decline. Toward the top of 2023, below Stellantis’s possession, gross sales had been at lower than 10,000 items. Not surprisingly, Jeep pulled the plug, with no substitute within the pipeline. That left Jeep with no bargain-priced entry-level ute.

That will change in 2 years. Jeep confirmed the Renegade will return as a sub-$25,000 EV in 2027. This is a part of Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa’s push to increase Jeep’s portfolio of electrified SUVs. There was no gasoline-powered mannequin included in Jeep’s announcement, however the risk wasn’t dominated out both. As we have seen with the Charger, an EV may be the lead-in to an internal-combustion mannequin down the road. One might hope {that a} fuel model of the Renegade could also be even cheaper than the EV, however that is speculative.

Detailed specs are essentially sparse this far forward of manufacturing, however Mopar Insiders reviews that the brand new Renegade shall be primarily based on Stellantis’ STLA Small platform. This is a variant of a modular EV platform, so the Renegade shall be a devoted EV from the bottom up. Nevertheless, the platform can even accommodate fuel and hybrid powertrains. Mopar Insiders expects the electrical model to function a 44-kWh battery and a spread within the ballpark of 200 miles. Its electrical torque ought to make it a succesful little off-roader, too.

The Twenty first-century model of the Chrysler 300 sedan achieved one thing only a few Chrysler fashions have managed for the reason that muscle automobile period: it turned cool. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg starred in advertisements for the car. In Snoop Dogg’s case, he starred within the advert as a result of he wished the automobile. Even President Barack Obama drove one in his days as a U.S. Senator. The 300C was a throwback to the times of massive, highly effective rear-wheel drive American sedans with unapologetic, in-your-face fashion, and other people received that at a intestine stage.

Unfortunately, it vanished with the top of L platform manufacturing after the 2023 mannequin 12 months. Chrysler’s lineup is now down to a couple almost similar minivans and nothing else. However, a brand new 300 is scheduled to reach in 2029, and there is good cause to imagine that it’s going to provide fashion, energy, and perhaps even the elusive ingredient of cool. The cause for optimism lies within the new mannequin’s inspiration: the completely breathtaking Halcyon idea automobile.

According to Motor Trend, the brand new 300 will probably be primarily based on the STLA Large platform, which is designed to host almost each form of drivetrain below the Sun, together with pure electrics, hybrids, and inner combustion engines. In EV type, the platform can provide a alternative of 400-volt or 800-volt techniques with glorious vary. All-wheel drive, a wise cockpit, and an entire suite of expertise are all integral to the platform. Almost any physique fashion may be constructed on it, however for coolness’ sake, let’s hope Chrysler follows by means of with an enormous, attractive sedan. Then, the Halcyon days might return to Chrysler eventually.